Manifesting The Dream
Yes, we do still have the dream! I know, I do. I believe you do too! As we move forward into Black History Month for 2022, I believe that it is imperative, now more than ever, for us to come together and continue to manifest the dream!
We are all aware that on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave, what is unquestionably, one of his most well-known speeches. One that has been quoted countless times, which has been a guide for us in carving the uphill path toward an equitable and equal society, which gives us hope, fuels our determination, and lifts our spirits.
As I reflect on this speech, Dr King gave one hundred years after the emancipation proclamation, in August 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, I am renewed by the call to action in the words he said:
“When the architects of our great republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Together, we face continued inequities in public education, neighborhood valuation, health outcomes, and many other promises. These are facts we must not ignore. How we respond is how we succeed. This is why I reiterate another message Dr. King advocated In Loving Your Enemies. (Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama, November 17, 1957) and I quote:
“…Love is the only way. Jesus discovered that…Not only did Jesus discover it, even great military leaders discover that. One day as Napoleon came toward the end of his career and looked back across the years—…[he] stood back and looked across the years, and said: "Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have built great empires. But upon what did they depend? They depended upon force. But long-ago Jesus started an empire that depended on love, and even to this day millions will die for him."”
As we face the challenges that stir our emotions and reflect on Dr. King’s words of wisdom on how to channel these emotions, I urge you to become an active participant in our community.
Community is an enormous source of strength and opportunity to connect, be heard and make the difference you want to make. I am calling to each of you, to recognize the moment we are in both as a city and a nation; to see the issues we face locally and nationally.
To recognize the opportunities, we have to create the world, we wish to live in, and recognize that change starts by creating the city we want to live in. The City of Baker has great opportunities now and more ahead. Every person living here is integral to our future success. You are important!
We have ongoing, growing interest from the community in being involved in all aspects of bettering the city. We are blessed to have diverse, talented, hard-working people who are dedicated to the vision of building this city into the best possible Baker it can be! We are blessed to be one of the very few cities in the entire United States which has Black leadership for a majority Black community.
And lastly, if we come together and act on one accord, we can move mountains. As we work toward a collective dream for Baker and the national dream of equity and equality, I ask you to join me because I still have the dream!
-Mayor Darnell Waites
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